Belle Wong: writer, reader, creativity junkie

Tag Archives: Mailbox Mondays

Here are the books that arrived at the Ms. Bookish household this past week:

Mystery: Bones, by Jonathan Kellerman. I have read all of Kellerman’s previous Alex Delaware books, and I’m definitely looking forward to this latest one – I’ve been waiting and waiting for it to come out in paperback (which it did before my turn came up for the hardcover version at my local library). Kellerman’s mysteries are complex and intricate, and since I know they’re difficult to put down, I’m waiting for a nice chunk of time when I can sit and read this one from cover to cover. (If I don’t, and give in to impulse, I’m almost guaranteed a 3 am bedtime as a result, and I’m getting a little long in the tooth for that kind of thing these days.)

Romance: Married in Seattle, by Debbie Macomber. I actually bought this book by mistake. I’ve been meaning to read Jodi Picoult, but I couldn’t remember her name (that long in the tooth thing again) and when I saw the name Debbie Macomber, I thought, that must be who I was thinking of. Only it wasn’t.

Mystery: In a Dark House, by Deborah Crombie, via Bookmooch. I just finished reading this a few days ago – the review is on my to-do list. I read the first Kinkaid/James mystery last summer and enjoyed it, and after stumbling on a few reviews of other books in the series, I decided to pick up In a Dark House – and I am extremely glad that I did! I am determined now to read all the books in the series. Yes, it was that good.

Update: Forgot this one (not sure why, since I’m actually in the middle of reading it – oh wait, that long in the tooth thing, again, right?): Chick Lit: It Would Be Funny … If It Wasn’t My Life, by Lisa Dow. This one’s a fun one, so far.

It’s time for Mailbox Monday again – Mailbox Monday is hosted each Monday by the Printed Page, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to check out the books people have added to their TBR piles in the last week.

It’s Mailbox Monday again, and here’s what arrived at the Ms. Bookish household this past week!

Young adult/Mystery: Skeleton Creek, by Patrick Carman. This one is an ARC courtesy of the author. I’m very excited about this book because of the interactive video component – my daughter isn’t a big reader, but she’s a filmmaker and it’s hard to drag her away from YouTube most days. I’ll be asking her to help me review the video portion of the book.

Young Adult/Fantasy: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. This one arrived courtesy of the library (I am constantly making full use of it’s requests program). I’ve been looking forward to reading this one, as I’ve come across some nice reviews about it.

World fiction: Slumdog Millionaire, by Vikas Swarup. I admit, I hadn’t even heard of the movie, but when I saw this at the bookstore, it caught my eye. I read the back cover and I was hooked.

Children’s books, Fantasy: Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke. Yes! I finally got my hands on a copy of Inkheart! It is a series that I’ve been wanting to read for a while – I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, “You haven’t read the Inkheart series yet, Belle? You? I can’t believe you haven’t read it yet. It’s exactly the kind of book you love.” Yes, well, true and true, I think. And now when people ask me, I will (soon) be able to say, “Why yes, I have. After all, it’s exactly my kind of book, don’t you think?”

Mystery/Suspense: Last Resort, by Hannah Alexander. I was doing my usual race in/out of the library, my intention being to scoop up the books I had on hold (I’m telling you, requesting books is such a huge time saver), when this book (and the next, actually) caught my eye. To be honest, I’m not too sure why it caught my eye, since it’s a medical suspense thriller, which is not a genre I read a lot of, but there you have it – in my quick dash into the library, I scooped this one up.

Humor: The Queen and I, by Sue Townsend. This is the other book I scooped up in my mad dash in and out of the library. There was, of course, a good reason why this caught my eye – as soon as I saw Sue Townsend’s name on the cover I thought immediately of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4, which I loved when I was younger. And how could I resist the one line description on the back cover: “England’s Royals are given the sack and go on the dole.”

Suspense: The Dracula Dossier, by James Reese. Another premise that sounds good: the story of Bram Stoker’s encounter and conquest of Jack the Ripper.

I’ve already spotted quite a few Mailbox Monday posts in my feed reader – it occurs to me I’m always running a bit later than everyone else when it comes to posting. Actually, it occurs to me that most book bloggers have a TON of energy and I’m not sure how they do it!

I seem to find my blogging rhythm in the evenings, as I’m settling down to more fun and unwinding before bed …

Here’s what came in the mail for me this past week: I’m very excited about these two books – I first read these when I was in my early twenties, borrowed from the library, and they were out of print even then so I could never get my own copy, and I wanted my own copies so very much!

I’ve had them in the back of my mind for ages, and kept meaning to wander over to Abe Books to see if I could find a copy or two or four. Then last month, for some reason, I decided to check Amazon – and discovered they were re-released last November! So I bought these as a post-holiday treat for myself, and I’m so looking forward to reading these back-to-back! Both my Siamese cats have passed on, and I won’t be able to get another one for a while, as our resident feline is a holy terror and would gobble up a kitten alive, but I’ll be able to dip back into my memories with both these books.

Memoir/Non-fiction: Cats in the Belfry, by Doreen Tovey. Don’t those two little imps look so mischievous? I remember laughing my way through this book, and at the same time, felt such familiarity with the antics of Sugieh and later on, her kittens. They were so much like my own cats. This first book starts with the adventures of Sugieh, and then her two darling kittens, Sheba and Solomon.

Memoir/Non-Fiction: Cats in May, by Doreen Tovey. Cats in May is the sequel to Cats in the Belfry, and continues to follow the antics of Sheba and Solomon.

I’m still waiting for The New Boy and Double Trouble to be available, but in the meantime, I just know I’m going to fall in love with these two books again. If you’re a cat lover – and especially if at some time you’ve been (or are) the slave companion to a Siamese cat (or two or more) – I definitely recommend both these books.

A very odd thing has happened: for today’s edition of Mailbox Monday here at MsBookish.com there is very little to report. (Mailbox Mondays is hosted every week by The Printed Page, for those who want to join in on the fun.)

It feels odd because my entire week has been swimming with books; but when I sat down to write this post, I discovered there wasn’t much to report in terms of new arrivals for my TBR pile.

Here’s what came to the Ms. Bookish household this past week (yes, it’s a scant list …):

A sense of foreboding sets in the moment fourteen-year-old twins Rachel and Adam arrive from New York to visit their English grandmother. The station is empty, village streets are deserted, locals are hostile, and even their frail Granny Root is oddly distant. And what about the bees that appear to follow a mysterious force? It all seems tied up with the Triskellion — an intertwining symbol etched in chalk on the moors. With a growing sense of danger and white-knuckle suspense, the twins are compelled to unearth a secret that has protected the village for centuries, one that reveals a shocking truth about their ancestors — and themselves.

I also received a couple of audiobooks. These didn’t arrive in my mailbox, but I think audiobook downloads fall within the spirit of Mailbox Monday, don’t you? So here they are:

Holidays on Ice (unabridged), by David Sedaris. Thanks to Kathy for suggesting this one. I’ve been listening to it at night, and it’s very funny. Sedaris’ voice is a perfect match to the tone of his essays.

Tomb of the Golden Bird (unabridged), by Elizabeth Peters. I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Peters, but it’s been a while since I picked up an Amelia Peabody book, so I thought I’d give the audio version a try, since I’ve heard great things about the narrator of the series.

So that’s it for this week. I’m hoping next Monday the list will be a bit better.

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I'm a writer, avid reader, artist-at-heart & book indexer. I blog about writing, books, art, creativity, spirituality, & the power of the imagination. Oh, and I like to write stuff about life in general, too!

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." - Stephen King

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The purpose of being a serious writer is not to express oneself, and it is not to make something beautiful, though one might do those things anyway. Those things are beside the point. The purpose of being a serious writer is to keep people from despair. If you keep that in mind always, the wish to make something beautiful or smart looks slight and vain in comparison. If people read your work and, as a result, choose life, then you are doing your job.

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